Latest news with #Chaudhary
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Court calls for former RPF constable's medical report
Jun 21, 2025 08:24 AM IST Mumbai: A sessions court has called for the medical report of Chetan Singh Chaudhary, a former Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable accused of shooting dead four passengers on board the Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express on the night of July 31, 2023. Chetan Singh Chaudhary (PTI) While one of those dead was Chaudhary's senior, with whom he had an argument prior to the shootings, the others were all identified as Muslim by their beards and then shot. Chaudhary's plea for bail citing 'temporary insanity' was rejected in December 2023. The sessions court had called for Chaudhary's medical report earlier too, on May 23. But it was never submitted as the judge hearing the case got transferred and the court was without a judge. Friday saw the resumption of court proceedings in the trial after a gap of almost a month. Chaudhary's trial commenced last November, when he was lodged in Akola Central Jail and attended court proceedings via video conferencing. In February this year, finding his behavior odd, the Akola jail authorities took him to Akola Central Hospital, where doctors advised that he be taken to Thane Mental Hospital for a proper examination. The 34-year-old former constable has been in Thane Mental Hospital since February 20. On March 12, the court ordered a stop to the trial since Chaudhary could not be present even through video conferencing. Four witnesses, including two RPF constables on duty with him that night, have so far testified. With a new judge having taken over, the court on Friday ordered that Choudhary's medical report be presented in court by the next date, July 3.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Though Cong opposes ‘One Nation One Election' Bill, we gave opinion to Parl panel: Himachal CM
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said that the party opposes One Nation, One Election. He said this at the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, pertaining to the proposal of One Nation-One Election, held at Fagu. Giving details, the chief minister said, 'The meeting was chaired by Member of Parliament PP Chaudhary. We were invited to share our personal and party's views on One Nation, One Election. The speaker, deputy speaker, and other stakeholders are also being called. As elected representatives, we believe it is our duty to participate in such democratic discussions.' 'Our stand is clear, we oppose One Nation, One Election. However, we gave inputs to strengthen democratic structures. We raised practical concerns what happens when a government collapses mid-term, or an MLA resigns? How will tenures align?' he said. 'If the proposal is to hold all elections in 2029, but our state elections are due in 2027, will those be deferred by two years? These are significant constitutional challenges that need thorough deliberation' Sukhu added while thanking the committee members for visiting Himachal and sharing the draft bill and scope of the proposal. People want One Nation, One Election: Chaudhary 'People want One Nation, One Election , it's not just a political issue, it's a national issue,' said Bharatiya Janata Party MP PP Chaudhary. 'In every state we visit, civil society, scholars, Padma awardees, and even those in Congress-ruled states have shown overwhelming support to one Nation One election,' said Chaudhary, while adding, 'Separate elections mean separate voter lists, multiple deployments, school closures for polling, and repeated election expenditure.' He said that the simultaneous elections were the norm until 1967, which changed only after 1970 due to early dissolution of assemblies. 'No political party can ignore the will of the people. If citizens demand it, even parties that oppose the idea may reconsider,' said Chaudhary. One Nation, One Election would be significant for hill states: Thakur Member of the committee and former Union minister Anurag Thakur said that One Nation, One Election would be significant for hill states like Himachal Pradesh. 'Simultaneous elections save time, money, and reduce disruption especially in hill states' said Anurag. 'The Joint Committee is rightly meeting political leaders, media, and intellectuals to gather diverse perspectives. Students and youth have shown great interest. If this bill becomes law, it can accelerate development and strengthen our democracy.' He said. Basic structure of Constitution must not be altered: Pathnia Himachal assembly speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said, 'The basic structure of constitution must not be altered. The Constitution already provides for five-year terms for both Parliament and state legislatures. But mid-term elections and breakdowns in governance have disrupted that structure. This committee is exploring whether we can return to that stability.' People want elections held together: Jai Ram Thakur Former chief minister and leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said, 'The One Nation, One Election bill is a bold move. Political parties may have different opinion but the public sentiment is clear in favour of one nation one election.' 'Our party fully supports it. We believe it should be implemented as soon as possible,' added Jai Ram.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
NTPC hands over five hydrogen fuel cell buses to eco-fragile Himalayan region of Ladakh
In eco-fragile Himalayan region of Ladakh, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), on Wednesday, handed over hydrogen fuel cell-based buses to the State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO). 'In a landmark move towards clean and sustainable transportation, a formal handing and taking over ceremony was held today at the NTPC Green Hydrogen Mobility Station, Palam, Leh, marking the transfer of five hydrogen fuel cell-based buses from NTPC Limited to the State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO),' said an official spokesperson. This initiative represents the first-ever commercial deployment of hydrogen-powered buses in India, and that too at the highest altitude anywhere in the world, making it a globally significant milestone in green mobility, he added. The ceremony was held in the presence of administrative secretary, transport department, Bhupesh Chaudhary, the additional deputy commissioner, Leh, along with senior officials from NTPC, SIDCO and other departments. Following the formal flag-off of the hydrogen buses, Chaudhary conducted a detailed inspection of NTPC's green hydrogen plant, including its production, storage, and dispensing systems. He appreciated NTPC's efforts in implementing such a technologically advanced project in Ladakh's high-altitude terrain and noted its significance in furthering the UT Administration's vision of a carbon-neutral Ladakh. Subsequent to the flag-off, the NTPC team called on chief secretary Pawan Kotwal and apprised him of the project's successful implementation. Kotwali lauded NTPC's pioneering efforts and observed that the successful operationalisation of hydrogen buses in such extreme conditions could usher in a new era of hydrogen fuel cell mobility in India. He also directed the NTPC team to document the entire experiment and operational learnings, so that it may serve as a benchmark for similar initiatives in other regions of the country. This initiative, developed through the collaborative efforts of the UT administration and NTPC, stands as a testament to India's growing leadership in renewable energy innovation and represents a major leap toward sustainable public transport in ecologically sensitive and strategically vital regions.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Greater Noida: Man dozes on duty, causing feeder outage; suspended
GREATER NOIDA: A technician posted at a 33/11 kV power substation in Greater Noida has been suspended after being allegedly found asleep on duty, leading to an unnecessary feeder shutdown and disruption in power supply, said Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, Noida Zone, officials on Wednesday. Rahul Chaudhary, was deployed at the Ithaira power substation as sub-station operator, under the electricity distribution subdivision of Greater Noida, they added. Discom officials said that on June 8 night, he unnecessarily switched off 11kV(kilovolt) feeder number 5 at the substation. When consumers and the sub-divisional officer (SDO) tried to contact the substation's department to inquire about the outage, Chaudhary did not respond. Around 2.50am, as the SDO inspected the substation Chaudhary was found asleep. 'During a surprise inspection on June 8 around midnight, the staffer posted at 33/11 kV Itaihara substation was found asleep while an 11kV feeder had been unnecessarily shut down, affecting power supply to consumers. His conduct reflected negligence and violation of service norms. He has now been suspended pending further inquiry,' said Rahul Sharma, executive engineer, electricity distribution division, Greater Noida. Additionally, the log sheet reportedly contained no entry regarding the feeder shutdown or any details post 11pm, raising concerns about negligence and dereliction of duty. Officials said that the department observed that power outage due to staffer's actions not only disrupted supply to consumers but also tarnished the department's image. It found Chaudhary prima-facie guilty of negligence, failure to perform his responsibilities, and in violation of rule 3 of the Uttar Pradesh Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1956 (breach of conduct expected by employees. 'During suspension, Chaudhary will remain attached to the 33/11 kV Bhatta substation and will be entitled to subsistence allowance as per rules. However, this payment will be subject to his submission of a certificate declaring that he is not engaged in any employment, trade, or profession during the suspension period,' Sharma added.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Net zero needs green corridors, local tech, and R&D push, says top govt and industry leaders
New Delhi: India must scale up its nuclear energy capacity to 100 GW by 2047 to stay on track with its net zero targets, former power secretary Alok Kumar said at the ET India Net Zero Forum 2025. He flagged a mismatch between solar power generation and evening demand as a major challenge in aligning the country's energy transition pathway. 'India's big challenge is aligning our demand with our resources — we're headed for a solar-led future, but we generate power during the day and consume it in the evening. That's the gap we need to bridge,' said Kumar. He added that achieving 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 and 250 GW by 2070 would help India stay on track, else the country may need to fall back on carbon capture and green ammonia to run coal plants in a limited way. NHPC Chairman and Managing Director Raj Kumar Chaudhary said that while renewable energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030 is achievable, unpredictability of generation from solar and wind power poses a risk to grid stability. 'Unpredictability of energy generation via wind, solar energy is a challenge and requires ensuring grid stability as well as generation of more energy from hydrogen and biomass sources,' he said. Chaudhary added that green energy corridors are being developed to transmit solar power from high-potential zones like Ladakh to demand centres. 'The government is building green energy corridors. To enable this, 50 GW of renewable bids are planned each year till 2028,' he said. NHPC currently has 8,193 MW of green capacity in operation, 9,843 MW under construction and 9,030 MW in survey stage. The pipeline includes pumped storage projects in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and other states. He also highlighted India's plans to develop hydro projects in Nepal and Bhutan. Referring to concerns around environmental impact , Chaudhary said hydropower development contributes to vegetation growth. 'Hydro projects are often seen as reducing forest cover, but they actually help increase it. We undertake large-scale afforestation, often doubling the area used,' he said. UN Resident Coordinator in India Shombi Sharp said global deforestation continues at a pace of 10 million hectares a year. 'If this continues, by 2030 we'll need two Earths to meet our consumption needs,' he said. He noted that India, with one-sixth of humanity, has emerged as a key force in climate action , and is now the third-largest electricity generator globally. NABARD Chairman Shaji KV said India's rural population remains vulnerable to climate change. 'India's rural population, which consumes one-fifth of energy produced, is vulnerable to climate change which is impacting production from gross crop area,' he said. He said farm productivity in India lags 30 per cent behind the global average and that concessional finance and non-market-based solutions are required. 'We can't burden low-income farmers with the cost of net zero—solutions must be concessional, not just market-based,' Shaji said. He added that with 75 per cent of India's infrastructure yet to be built, it is critical that future development is climate-resilient. Godrej Industries Managing Director Nadir Godrej said employee involvement helped the group cut costs while meeting sustainability targets. 'We've made strong progress on Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Scope 3 is a challenge, but with supplier collaboration, we're confident of tackling that too,' he said.
